Charges filed against all four police officers in Floyd killing
AFP / MANDEL NGANPolice and protesters outside the US Capitol
Three Minneapolis policemen were charged Wednesday for their role in the killing of a handcuffed black man that ignited nationwide protests, while more serious charges were filed against the officer primarily responsible.
Minnesota prosecutors had announced a third-degree murder indictment Friday against 44-year-old Derek Chauvin -- the white officer filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes while he pleads: "I can't breathe."
But they said they were increasing the charge, roughly akin to manslaughter, to second-degree murder, which does not involve premeditation but carries stiffer penalties.
Hennepin County Jail/AFP/File / HandoutMinnesota authorities elevated the charge facing police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd to second-degree murder
"I believe the evidence available to us now supports the stronger charge of second-degree murder," Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said.
"We're here today because George Floyd is not here," Ellison added. "He should be here. He should be alive. But he's not."
Chauvin's three colleagues at the scene of Floyd's May 25 arrest for allegedly seeking to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit bill are accused of being complicit in the killing.
Tou Thao, 34, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas Lane, 37, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / SCOTT OLSONThe charred remains of a liquor store destroyed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The arrest of all of the officers involved has been a persistent demand of protesters who have taken to the streets of dozens of US cities for the past nine days to condemn police brutality and demand racial justice.
Tens of thousands of people defied curfews in several US cities overnight to voice anger over 46-year-old Floyd's death but the protests were largely peaceful and did not feature the looting or clashes with police of previous days.
Floyd's family, in a statement, called the arrests a "bittersweet moment" and a "significant step forward on the road to justice."
AFP / Sébastien CASTERANUS anti-racism protests
"These officers knew they could act with impunity, given the Minneapolis Police Department's widespread and prolonged pattern and practice of violating people's constitutional rights," his family said.
"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support by Americans in cities across the country, and we urge them to raise their voices for change in peaceful ways."
- 'Last resort' -
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / Drew AngererUS Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he opposes the use of active duty troops to quell protests
While condemning Floyd's death, President Donald Trump has adopted a tough stance towards the protesters, saying they include many "bad people" and "you have to have dominant force."
"We need law and order," he repeated on Wednesday.
Trump has also raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops to quell unrest, an option rejected by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who said the National Guard should play that role when needed.
"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations," Esper said.
"We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act."
AFP / MANDEL NGANA protestors holds up a sign near the US Capitol
Trump meanwhile denied media reports that he was rushed for his safety to the White House bunker while protests raged in the streets outside.
"It was a false report," Trump told Fox News Radio, before saying that he did go into the secure area for an "inspection" and only for a "tiny, little, short period of time."
Reports of Trump taking shelter sparked a wave of online mockery, which is believed to have contributed to his decision on Monday to make a controversial walk across Lafayette Park -- just outside the White House grounds -- to visit a partly damaged church.
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / BRENT STIRTONA demonstrator hugs a member of the National Guard during a protest in Los Angeles
Police violently dispersed mostly peaceful crowds of protesters to clear a path for Trump, and the photo opportunity was loudly condemned by religious leaders, the president's political rivals, and onlookers around the country.
National Guard troops have been heavily involved in controlling the unrest in several US cities and Trump threatened on Wednesday to send them to Democratic-ruled New York City if the authorities there "don't get their act together."
- 'No more' -
AFP / MANDEL NGANPeople lay down in protest near the US Capitol
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that the Insurrection Act remains "a tool available" to the president, who is facing a tough reelection battle in November.
"The president wants to protect America's streets," McEnany said. "We cannot have burning churches. We cannot have police officers that are shot. We cannot have businesses that are looted and destroyed."
Protests continued on Wednesday in several US cities and curfews remained in place in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, while slightly loosened.
Los Angeles County narrowed its curfew by four hours, from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am instead of 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the curfew in Washington would be from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am instead of starting at 7:00 pm.
Former president Jimmy Carter called meanwhile for an end to racial discrimination.
"People of power, privilege, and moral conscience must stand up and say 'no more' to a racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our unified democracy," the 95-year-old Carter said in a statement.
"We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this."
burs-cl/ft
Prosecutors charge 3 more officers in George Floyd’s death
By AMY FORLITI and TIM SULLIVAN
1 of 19
People march in protest against police brutality in Boston,Wednesday, June 3, 2020, following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors filed a tougher charge Wednesday against the police officer at the center of the George Floyd case and charged three other officers, delivering a victory to protesters galvanized by a death that roused racial tensions and unleashed coast-to-coast unrest.
The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck and now must defend himself against an accusation of second-degree murder. The three other officers at the scene — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four were fired last week.
The new charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the protests unleashed by the death “dramatic and necessary” and said Floyd “should be here and he is not.”
“His life had value, and we will seek justice,” said Ellison, who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions.
Hundreds of protesters were in New York City’s Washington Square Park when the charges were announced.
“It’s not enough,” protester Jonathan Roldan said, insisting all four officers should have been charged from the start. “Right now, we’re still marching because it’s not enough that they got arrested. There needs to be systematic change.”
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, called it “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice.” Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd’s death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted.
Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The move powerfully punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places.
Some of the rockiness of the days since Floyd’s May 25 death dissipated on Tuesday night, with demonstrations continuing around the country, but without major reports of violence.
Curfews and efforts by protesters to contain earlier flare-ups of lawlessness were credited with preventing more widespread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight.
“Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New York police said about 280 people were arrested on protest-related charges Tuesday night, compared with 700 a day earlier. Nationwide, more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with unrest.
At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out.
Some tense incidents continued Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days. Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT
Minnesota has opened a civil rights investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities.
President Donald Trump has pushed the nation’s governors to take a hard line against the violence, saying Tuesday that “lowlifes and losers” were taking over New York’s streets.
He again tweeted Wednesday: “LAW & ORDER!”
Thousands of protesters again took to the streets again in the nation’s capital, singing “Amazing Grace” as they knelt. “We are not going anywhere!” they chanted.
Law enforcement officers in riot gear watched the crowd. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed an 11 p.m. curfew after Tuesday’s peaceful protests. The Tuesday curfew had been 7 p.m.
Jade Jones, 30, said the protests would continue despite the new charges.
“That’s the least they could do,” said Jones, who had been attending Washington protests for days. “It’s not going to wipe away 400 years of pain.”
“We are glad there are additional charges, but that doesn’t mean justice has been served,” she said.
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence.
The protests have also taken root overseas amid growing global outrage over Floyd’s death, racial injustice and heavy-handed police tactics.
In Greece, police fired tear gas after young people attacked them Wednesday outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Some 4,000 protesters had been peaceful until near the end of the demonstration, when some threw gasoline bombs and stones at police. No injuries or arrests were reported.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, a statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was removed by the city early Wednesday after repeatedly being targeted by vandals. Rizzo presided over a police force widely accused of racism and brutality in the 1970s.
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam was expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue, a senior administration official told The Associated Press. The statue in the former Confederate capital has been the target of vandalism during the protests.
___
Full Coverage: Days of Unrest
Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report.
AFP / MANDEL NGANPolice and protesters outside the US Capitol
Three Minneapolis policemen were charged Wednesday for their role in the killing of a handcuffed black man that ignited nationwide protests, while more serious charges were filed against the officer primarily responsible.
Minnesota prosecutors had announced a third-degree murder indictment Friday against 44-year-old Derek Chauvin -- the white officer filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes while he pleads: "I can't breathe."
But they said they were increasing the charge, roughly akin to manslaughter, to second-degree murder, which does not involve premeditation but carries stiffer penalties.
Hennepin County Jail/AFP/File / HandoutMinnesota authorities elevated the charge facing police officer Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd to second-degree murder
"I believe the evidence available to us now supports the stronger charge of second-degree murder," Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison said.
"We're here today because George Floyd is not here," Ellison added. "He should be here. He should be alive. But he's not."
Chauvin's three colleagues at the scene of Floyd's May 25 arrest for allegedly seeking to buy cigarettes with a counterfeit bill are accused of being complicit in the killing.
Tou Thao, 34, J. Alexander Kueng, 26, and Thomas Lane, 37, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / SCOTT OLSONThe charred remains of a liquor store destroyed in Minneapolis, Minnesota
The arrest of all of the officers involved has been a persistent demand of protesters who have taken to the streets of dozens of US cities for the past nine days to condemn police brutality and demand racial justice.
Tens of thousands of people defied curfews in several US cities overnight to voice anger over 46-year-old Floyd's death but the protests were largely peaceful and did not feature the looting or clashes with police of previous days.
Floyd's family, in a statement, called the arrests a "bittersweet moment" and a "significant step forward on the road to justice."
AFP / Sébastien CASTERANUS anti-racism protests
"These officers knew they could act with impunity, given the Minneapolis Police Department's widespread and prolonged pattern and practice of violating people's constitutional rights," his family said.
"We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support by Americans in cities across the country, and we urge them to raise their voices for change in peaceful ways."
- 'Last resort' -
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / Drew AngererUS Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said he opposes the use of active duty troops to quell protests
While condemning Floyd's death, President Donald Trump has adopted a tough stance towards the protesters, saying they include many "bad people" and "you have to have dominant force."
"We need law and order," he repeated on Wednesday.
Trump has also raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act to deploy active duty troops to quell unrest, an option rejected by Defense Secretary Mark Esper, who said the National Guard should play that role when needed.
"The option to use active duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations," Esper said.
"We are not in one of those situations now. I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act."
AFP / MANDEL NGANA protestors holds up a sign near the US Capitol
Trump meanwhile denied media reports that he was rushed for his safety to the White House bunker while protests raged in the streets outside.
"It was a false report," Trump told Fox News Radio, before saying that he did go into the secure area for an "inspection" and only for a "tiny, little, short period of time."
Reports of Trump taking shelter sparked a wave of online mockery, which is believed to have contributed to his decision on Monday to make a controversial walk across Lafayette Park -- just outside the White House grounds -- to visit a partly damaged church.
GETTY IMAGES/AFP / BRENT STIRTONA demonstrator hugs a member of the National Guard during a protest in Los Angeles
Police violently dispersed mostly peaceful crowds of protesters to clear a path for Trump, and the photo opportunity was loudly condemned by religious leaders, the president's political rivals, and onlookers around the country.
National Guard troops have been heavily involved in controlling the unrest in several US cities and Trump threatened on Wednesday to send them to Democratic-ruled New York City if the authorities there "don't get their act together."
- 'No more' -
AFP / MANDEL NGANPeople lay down in protest near the US Capitol
White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany said Wednesday that the Insurrection Act remains "a tool available" to the president, who is facing a tough reelection battle in November.
"The president wants to protect America's streets," McEnany said. "We cannot have burning churches. We cannot have police officers that are shot. We cannot have businesses that are looted and destroyed."
Protests continued on Wednesday in several US cities and curfews remained in place in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, while slightly loosened.
Los Angeles County narrowed its curfew by four hours, from 9:00 pm to 5:00 am instead of 6:00 pm to 6:00 am.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the curfew in Washington would be from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am instead of starting at 7:00 pm.
Former president Jimmy Carter called meanwhile for an end to racial discrimination.
"People of power, privilege, and moral conscience must stand up and say 'no more' to a racially discriminatory police and justice system, immoral economic disparities between whites and blacks, and government actions that undermine our unified democracy," the 95-year-old Carter said in a statement.
"We need a government as good as its people, and we are better than this."
burs-cl/ft
Prosecutors charge 3 more officers in George Floyd’s death
By AMY FORLITI and TIM SULLIVAN
1 of 19
People march in protest against police brutality in Boston,Wednesday, June 3, 2020, following the death of George Floyd, who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Prosecutors filed a tougher charge Wednesday against the police officer at the center of the George Floyd case and charged three other officers, delivering a victory to protesters galvanized by a death that roused racial tensions and unleashed coast-to-coast unrest.
The most serious charge was filed against Derek Chauvin, who was caught on video pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck and now must defend himself against an accusation of second-degree murder. The three other officers at the scene — Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao — were charged for the first time with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. All four were fired last week.
The new charges were sought by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the protests unleashed by the death “dramatic and necessary” and said Floyd “should be here and he is not.”
“His life had value, and we will seek justice,” said Ellison, who cautioned that winning convictions would be hard and said that public pressure had no bearing on his decisions.
Hundreds of protesters were in New York City’s Washington Square Park when the charges were announced.
“It’s not enough,” protester Jonathan Roldan said, insisting all four officers should have been charged from the start. “Right now, we’re still marching because it’s not enough that they got arrested. There needs to be systematic change.”
Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd’s family, called it “a bittersweet moment” and “a significant step forward on the road to justice.” Crump said Elison had told the family he would continue his investigation into Floyd’s death and upgrade the charge to first-degree murder if warranted.
Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The move powerfully punctuated an unprecedented week in modern American history, in which largely peaceful protests took place in communities of all sizes but were rocked by bouts of violence, including deadly attacks on officers, rampant thefts and arson in some places.
Some of the rockiness of the days since Floyd’s May 25 death dissipated on Tuesday night, with demonstrations continuing around the country, but without major reports of violence.
Curfews and efforts by protesters to contain earlier flare-ups of lawlessness were credited with preventing more widespread damage to businesses in New York and other cities overnight.
“Last night we took a step forward in moving out of this difficult period we’ve had the last few days and moving to a better time,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
New York police said about 280 people were arrested on protest-related charges Tuesday night, compared with 700 a day earlier. Nationwide, more than 9,000 have been arrested in connection with unrest.
At least 12 deaths have been reported, though the circumstances in many cases are still being sorted out.
Some tense incidents continued Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days. Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT
Some tense incidents continued Tuesday night, but were far less prevalent than in preceding days. Police and National Guard troops used tear gas, flash-bang grenades, nonlethal rounds and other means of dispersing crowds near a police precinct in Seattle, near Centennial Park in Atlanta and at demonstrations in Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida.
ADVERTISEMENT
Minnesota has opened a civil rights investigation into whether the Minneapolis Police Department has a pattern of discrimination against minorities.
President Donald Trump has pushed the nation’s governors to take a hard line against the violence, saying Tuesday that “lowlifes and losers” were taking over New York’s streets.
He again tweeted Wednesday: “LAW & ORDER!”
Thousands of protesters again took to the streets again in the nation’s capital, singing “Amazing Grace” as they knelt. “We are not going anywhere!” they chanted.
Law enforcement officers in riot gear watched the crowd. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser imposed an 11 p.m. curfew after Tuesday’s peaceful protests. The Tuesday curfew had been 7 p.m.
Jade Jones, 30, said the protests would continue despite the new charges.
“That’s the least they could do,” said Jones, who had been attending Washington protests for days. “It’s not going to wipe away 400 years of pain.”
“We are glad there are additional charges, but that doesn’t mean justice has been served,” she said.
More than 20,000 National Guard members have been called up in 29 states to deal with the violence.
The protests have also taken root overseas amid growing global outrage over Floyd’s death, racial injustice and heavy-handed police tactics.
In Greece, police fired tear gas after young people attacked them Wednesday outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens. Some 4,000 protesters had been peaceful until near the end of the demonstration, when some threw gasoline bombs and stones at police. No injuries or arrests were reported.
Meanwhile in Philadelphia, a statue of former Mayor Frank Rizzo was removed by the city early Wednesday after repeatedly being targeted by vandals. Rizzo presided over a police force widely accused of racism and brutality in the 1970s.
In Virginia, Gov. Ralph Northam was expected to announce plans Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee from Richmond’s prominent Monument Avenue, a senior administration official told The Associated Press. The statue in the former Confederate capital has been the target of vandalism during the protests.
___
Full Coverage: Days of Unrest
Associated Press journalists across the U.S. contributed to this report.
After thousands of whites rioted in Oxford, Miss., in 1962 to prevent integration of the University of Mississippi, President John Kennedy sent U.S. troops to quell the violence.Credit...Donald Uhrbrock/The LIFE Images Collection, via Getty Images
Anti-integration protesters at the University of Mississippi awaiting the arrival of the first African-American student, James Meredith.Credit...Getty Images
